Beyond Hope
by Hornet394
Summary: A boy, made to survive, thrust into another world which is beyond hope. What would he find? Another life of despair, or a chance to live?
1. Chapter 1

'There's Harry Potter!' The boy with the lightning scar dodged among the trees, desperate to throw those Death Eaters off his tracks. Things had gone to hell when Narcissa announced that he wasn't dead - he couldn't bloody lie to the woman, after all, Draco was really dead. Harry shook his head to get those inages out of his mind. Those falling rubble, the crushing stones, the blonde's insistent shouts of 'Go!', as the younger ones who couldn't make it out earlier fled through the secret tunnels.

Harry couldn't help but wonder about death. How was death? Not the one he had experienced, he hadn't died. What would his own true death be? Some kind of sacrificial magic to being down tunnels, like Draco? Some peculiar portal like Sirius? Some animal attack, like Snape? A murder, like Dumbledore, or an accident? A killing curse, like those that had littered his past?

Mulciber and Dolohov were on his trail. Curses flew atop his head, but he had to get back to Hogwarts. To tell them to be ready. To make those sacrifices count.

As much magical power Harry had, he wasn't that good at experience. A strong incarcerous wrapped around his legs, and he toppled onto the ground. Mulciber caught up not long after that. 'Ickle Potter, you've escaped death once, not twice! Dolohov, the spell!' Harry fought against his bonds, but Mulciber wrapped another Incarcerous on his wrists. 'No where to hide.' He sneered. Meanwhile in the background, Dolohov egan chanting in Latin. Harry wished he had learnt the language - at least he would have known what the Death Eaters were trying to do to him. 'What, scared?' Mulciber mocked. Harry spat on him.

The thing was, Dolohov stumbled along the words, which earned a kick from Mulciber, making Dolohov stumble more. Then there was an uneasy tug on the navel.

So when the spell activated… they weren't where they were supposed to be…

'Ow.' Harry muttered. Rubbing his head where it had hit on a branch- branch? He sat up quickly. His bonds were gone, and he spotted Dolohov and Mulciber lying on a side. Dolohov seemed to have hit his head on a rock, the blood seeping out. Harry gulped. Where the bloody hell was he? He wasn't in Malfoy Manor, that he could be sure. But was he still in the Forbidden Forest? Sunlight filtered in from among the canopy. It was still nighttime- he fishe out his temporary wand, Draco's wand, and cast a Tempus. 3:40 pm. 'Afternoon? He mouthed to himself.

He stood up on shaky legs to flee, but that exact moment Mulciber woke up. 'Bloody hell!' he shouted, and spran up to his feet. 'Dolohov!' He stalked over to his fallen comrade. 'Huh, dead.' Mulciber snorted. He gave the body a ruthless kick.

Harry edged out cautiously. If he was lucky, he could get away before Mulciber noticed.

Dolohov's hands twitched. Apparently Mulciber noticed it too, because he leaned in. 'Wake up, sleepy head.' He growled directly on Dolohov's face.

Then- then- Dolohov raised his head, and sank his teeth into Mulciber's neck.

Harry almost screamed. Almost. He was rooted to the spot as Dolohov rose and knocked Mulciber to the ground, Mulciber's wand rolling out of reach. He watched as Dolohov tore a chunk of flesh out of Mulciber's shoulder, and the man screamed. As for Dolohov- Harry wasn't even sure if he was human anymore.

Another man emerged from the trees, but he was walking in some funny way, like he was limping. 'Help!' Mulciber cried, but it came out all gurgled as he drowned in his own blood.

The man- no, the skeleton, fell on Mulciber, tearing at his robes and his stomach. Mulciber's screams fell short as his guts spilled out.

'Help.' Harry said weakly. Then he fled.

Those were Inferi, Harry guessed as he fled downhill. But they were no Inferi. There wasn't anyone around to raise them, for example Dolohov. He just died- and- turned.

He finally burst free on a sunlit road. 'Where the heck am I.' He mouthed. It was then did he register someone else's presence there. He turned, to see around eleven pair of eyes, four guns, and a crossbow pointed at him. So these Inferi knew how to use a gun and- 'Is he human?' Someone said. It was a man who seemed to be the leader of the group, with a muggle police suit. His accent- he wasn't British. 'Of course I am!' Harry spat. He wa in no mood to be pleasant. 'Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?'

'What's your name? What happened?' They didn't seem to like putting down their weapons. These questions came from the man with the crossbow. 'The name's… Draco Riddle.' He bit his tongue mentally. Everyone could see from his hesitation that that wasn't his true name, but he wasn't going to just say his name to a bunch of strangers.. 'I just saw a man hit his head on a rock, die, than tore his best friend apart.' He spat. He didn't exactly know if Mulciber and Dolohov were best friends, but that didn't matter.

'Were you bitten? Or scratched?' A blonde lady asked. 'By the Inferi? No.'

'Inferi?' Another younger, blonde lady questioned. 'That's what we called them… but these aren't regular Inferi…' Harry trailed off. So they were complete muggles.

'You've met regular Walkers?' An old man atop a huge car asked. 'Walkers? Funny name. Yeah, they don't roam around- there's always someone to control them. Fire scares them as well.'

'I don't think we're talking about the same sort here, kid. Fire attracts the walkers, so do sound and light.' The leader said.

The sun was beating mercilessly on his skin, and he haven't had a drink in ages! He licked his parched lips.

'Come on, let the poor kid in. He's gonna collapse anytime. We can continuete interrogation anytime.' the crossbow man said. The weapons were finally lowered, and crossbow man came up. Harry took a step- and collapsed.


	2. Chapter 2

**This is Hornet speaking! I really should proofread my chapters first… before I continue, I should clarify some stuff.**

**1. This is NOT some Harry-goes-and-save-another-**

**world-fic. Harry is merely a trespasser here, the 'hero' is still Rick. And Carl. And Daryl. And Glenn.**

** 2. I'll be following the incidents that occured in the tv series. It's only up to Season 2, I know, but we'll see where it goes if I really write that fast.**

** 3. Some people are alive when they should be dead, and some people will die when they should be alive. Be warned. That temporarily includes Amy at this point.**

** 4. The plot was given by animefangirl0219.**

Everything was very fuzzy… and warm… Harry sat straight up. 'You're awake?' A soft voice said. He whipped his head around. 'Where- Wha- I' The woman smiled. 'You fainted, poor thing. Daryl carried you in.' Harry flushed. Why did everyone had to call him 'poor thing'?

'I'm Jacqui,' She said, handing him his glasses. 'Your friend lying over there is Jim.' Harry looked over her shoulder. There was a man propped on the other side of… whatever they were in, and he seemed to be in pain. 'What happened?' He asked, curious. 'He was bitten in an attack recently, when he was trying to protect Amy.' She said. (A/N: I know that Amy died, but since I adopted this from animefangirl0219, this was included.) We're heading to the CDC, hope that they have a cure or something.' Harry cocked his head, and Jacqui laughed. 'I'm losing you, I know. Now let's get you introduced.'

The rest if the muggles were lounging around in front of the cars, conversing in low voices. The old man was still perched atop the big car, which they had come out from. The muggles got up as Jacqui and Harry approached. 'It's Draco Riddle, right?' The leader said. Harry nodded his head warily. 'I'm Rick. Rick Grimes.' The man said. 'How old are you?' Harry narrowed his eyes suspiciously. 'The first thing you do you ask people how old they are?' He said. Crossbow man snorted in the background. '17.' Harry replied. The black guy's eyebrows rose. 'You don't look 17.' He remarked. Harry shrugged.

Rick went off with the introductions. 'I'm Rick, you've met Jacqui, and there's Lori, my wife, Carl, my son, Shane, my best friend, Dale, who's up on the RV, Andrea and Amy, they're sisters, Carol and her daughter Sophia, T-Dog, Glenn, and Daryl.'

'That's a lot.' Harry muttered.

'There's one thing we've all been interested in.' The man called Shane said. 'It's been quite a time since the world went to hell. How did you survive?' The Asian- Glenn, continued, 'You mentioned two friends. They took care of you?' Harry almost laughed at the notion, but he hadn't avoided persecution by being obvious. 'Yeah. I never knew things were this worse until we, uh, ran out of time and left.'

The muggles seemed to be nodding, though the old- Dale was staring straight at him.

'Welcome to the group, I guess.' Andrea- or Amy? shrugged. Then he turned to Jacqui. 'How's Jim?' Jacqui frowned. 'He wants… he won't make it to CDC. He wants us to leave him here.'

Silence. It was getting rather uncomfortable and Harry shuffled his feet. 'We can't do that!' Amy cried. 'He can't give up hope.' She said, Andrea nodding along. Shane and Dale said nothing, but Harry knew they thought that having Jim there would be a burden. 'He won't make it, Amy.' Daryl said blandly. 'He can't give up. We can't give up!' Amy insisted. 'Amy-' Shane tried to interject, but Rick beat him to it. 'If this is what he wants.'

Jacqui nodded. 'He things he can finally be with his family in this way.'

'What do you think, Jacqui?' Dale asked. 'You've been taking care of him. What do you think?'

Jacqui hesitated.

'If this is what Jim wants, why not?' Harry said. He flushed when the muggles turned to look at him. 'You're just 17, Riddle, what do you know about life?' Andrea snarled. Harry resisted the urge to flinch and met her gaze firmly. 'I've seen people die. And that's why I think Jim should have at least a choice to decide how he wants to die.'

'What choice does he have?' Glenn asked bitterly. 'He'll still turn into a geek. Into one of them.'

'He either can be left here and rejoin his family, or you guys could kill him, or he could turn in the middle of the night and kill us all.'

'I agree with Draco.' Jacqui said. 'Jim has the right to decide how he wants to deal with this.'

Amy still didn't look convinced.

Harry stood by a side as they carried Jim out. The man looked worse than when Harry saw him fifteen minutes ago. The other people were talking among themselves, Shane casting glances towards Harry. Harry had had training under two Slytherins, he knew when he wasn't trusted and when he was in suspicion.

Rick propped Jim against a tree, and the man looked weary but happy. Jacqui couldn't stop the tears, and Harry watched on as the muggles said goodbye to their friend. 'Riddle?' Dale asked. 'Wanna say something?' Harry shook his head, smiling apologetically. 'I- I don't know him well enough.' Dale nodded understandingly, if not a bit disappointingly.

As Dale and Glenn drove the RV out, Jacqui sat down opposite to Harry. 'Well, Draco? Tell me more about yourself. Seems that everyone has some past.'

When Harry didn't respond, Jacqui continued, 'Let's see, Glenn was a pizza boy in Macon, and came up to Atlanta to find his friends. Dale was on a trip with his wife. Andrea and Amy hitched a ride with him. Jim was the only man who made it alive of Atlanta, because his family died. Lori and Carl was rescued by Shane. Rick slept the apocalypse away in coma. What about you?'

Harry hesitated. 'I was in school.' He mumbled. 'The year started well enough, I reconciled with a long-time enemy and gained a lot of friends.' Harry paused, not entirely sure how he should continue with the cover story. However, Jacqui filled the blanks for him. 'And then the apocalypse erupted.' She said. Harry nodded, relieved. 'People died. I almost did.'

'We all did.' Jacqui smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

** I am so happy of the feedback you guys gave me!**


	3. Chapter 3

**OMG I am so happy! Few days ago I had a nightmare that this story was removed because I forgot the disclaimer. Therefore…**

**I don't own the Walking Dead comicasand Tv series, nor do I own Harry Potter books and movies :)**

**Now ON WITH THE STORY!**

**30/8 ohmigod I am so freakin scared. According to chinese legend tmr morning is the 'ghost festival', where obviously ghosts come out from the underground, and the day before (tdy) we can't be home late and we can't wear black after 11 or the ghosts will haunt you and now it's late and I'm wearing black and I am so freakin scared**

**Some day in september**

**OMG sorry for the long wait but I just couldn't make Rick sound… Rick. All I remember is him shouting 'You're killing us!' Over and over again.**

The ride was uncomfortable. Sometimes there were upturned cars, decayed and rotten bodies in the seats. 'These geeks are too dead to be alive.' Glenn muttered, his eyes worried and frightened. He had those deer in the headlights look. Dale merely sighed, his eyes hard and fixed on Rick's car up front. Harry fidgeted in the clothes Jacqui had found for him, 'It's Glenn's.'

Jacqui was taking a nap at the back of the RV. The woman looked troubled as she slept, much like Ginny. Harry sighed mentally. He had no idea how he had ended halfway across the world, or if this was a different time, or was he out of the world that he knew. He wrapped his arms around his legs. He had no idea if he could even go back.

'Shouldn't Rick know?' Glenn said suddenly. Dale shook his head. 'He doesn't need this to worry as well. This should hold til the CDC. We'll find replacements there.'

'What's wrong?' Harry asked, curious. Glenn jumped slightly and Dale's eyes widened. 'I thought you were asleep, Draco. It's nothing big, nothing to worry about.'

'Are you sure?' Harry frowned. 'We'll figure it out, Riddle. Just… a little something.' Glenn muttered.

Harry let the subject drop. After all, he depended on these mu- people to figure out how to get home and end the war. With a pang he realized he had been here for at least over a few hours. When he got back, would everyone be-

He couldn't think of things like this. Not now, not here. He had to have faith in his allies and friends.

Harry wasn't sure when he dozed off. Because the next moment he opened his eyes, the sun was lower, and he could almost see the stars.

The city was dead.

It was nothing like Privet Drive, no cozy gardens and house cats basking in the sun. No cottages and angry yelling. No trees littering the pavement, no shrieks of children frolicking around.

Tall, towering glass buildings filled the city, abandoned cars overturned, some were burnt and scarred. And the inferi… they were everywhere.

Dale drove in silence, the soft revving of the engine not attracting the walkers.

As they approached the dome like building, though, the ground was littered with dead walkers. 'The military probably got them. The CDC is a line of defense.' Jacqui explained. 'Do you think it's…' Glenn gulped. No one answered.

Rick's car stopped and his family got out with Carol and Sophia. Dale stopped the RV in front of an impressing glass pane. It seemed empty inside, but perhaps it was only too dark.

Rick led them in front of the garage-like door. Everything was so quiet, Harry couldn't fathom the idea that the building was still operating.

His magic was tingling like crazy, though, the first indication that magic still existed in this universe. There was something beyond those doors.

Rick went up, Shane following behind. 'Hello?' Rick announced. The metal doors stayed put. 'Anyone inside?' Jacqui sighed. 'I had some kind of premonition… luck isn't on our side,' She said to Harry. 'I appreciate Rick's effort to keep us alive, but he isn't having much luck all the time.'

'There's no one in there, isn't it?' Daryl asked, propping his crossbow over his shoulder, his brows furrowed in concentration.

'There's someone in there.' Harry insisted. They were so close-!

'How do _you_ know, Riddle?' Andrea demanded. Dale huffed indignantly. 'Some kind of sixth-sense, boy?' Amy just snorted. Harry could sense that the trio would give him a very hard time there. If only he could hex-

'Oh shit!' Harry exclaimed. 'Jacqui, where're the clothes I was wearing?' Jacqui was confused, but she took the tattered shirt and pants from a bag.

Rumagging, Harry breathed a sigh of relief as his hands closed on two comforting textures of wood. One sang along with his magic, giddy at not being held for hours, while the other… did it know that its master was dead? No one actually knew much about wands in Hogwarts.

'What's that?' Jacqui asked, peering over his shoulder. He quickly stuffed the wands into his pocket. 'Momentoes.' He mumbled. Jacqui patted his shoulder sympathetically and moved away.

Meanwhile, Shane and Rick were arguing heatedly. 'There's no one in there, Rick! We gotta go!' Shane insisted. 'There's gotta be someone! We can't lose hope! Even Riddle agrees with me!' Rick rebuked. 'Wait, so you're gonna trust a stranger's input over me? _You're fucking impossible_!'

'Riddle's not a stranger! He's one of us now!'

'Cut it guys!' Glenn said, trying to seperate the two men, 'The sound will attract the walkers!' neither paid attention to him.

'Woah wait! The camera moved just now!' Daryl pointed at the… what were they called? Survi- servey- survelliance cameras?

Shane fell silent, his eyes wide and Rick turned back to the door. 'Let us in, whoever you are!' He roared, 'Let us in!' Carol choked back a sob. 'Whoever's in there, he's not helping us.' She whispered, drawing Sophia closer to herself.

'We gotta go- it's too dark!' Shane spurred into action, leaping and trapped Rick in his arms, dragging him back closer.

'You're leaving us to the walkers!' Rick was still shouting, 'You're killing us!'

'Everyone back to the car!' Shane ordered. Andrea and Amy broke off to the RV, Dale following. Glenn, backed away slowly, uncertainly. Daryl stared at the camera, refusing to budge. Carol and Sophia walked to Lori and Carl, tugging at het arms as if persuading her to go back to the car. But Rick's wife stood by his side. Jacqui also stared at it, but she them turned away. 'You coming, Draco?' She asked. 'I… uh… I…' Harry hesitated. Shane still had Rick in a headlock, Rick was still shouting.

'You're killing us! _You're killing us!'_

Light flooded out from the raising gates.


	4. Chapter 4

**Tada! Another chapter! Argh I suck so much despite that so much of you followed and favourited this story and I've taken so long to update… If you read Avengers fics, I have some one-shots up so please check them out :)**

**Hey guys any pairing you like?**

**Rick/Harry (from AnimeVamp1997)**

**Shane/Lori**

**Harry/Glenn**

**Daryl/Glenn**

**Daryl/Carol**

**Harry/Amy**

**And any others you'd like to see :)**

**27/9 OMYFUCKINGGOD just went to Maroon 5 live concert and it was so GODDAMN GOOD how is this my life?**

**WTF a month since my last update… SORRY**

Harry's breath hitched. 'Move!' A middle aged, white haired man barked in the doorway. 'Quickly! When that door closes, it stays closes!' He roared. Rick quickly kicked into action. 'Grab your bags! Let's go!' Harry followed Rick, and a disbelieving Shane, into the building.

His jaw dropped. He had never gone to such a big… modern… rich… muggle facility before. There had been some field trips in his school years, but his Uncle had always refused to sign the permission sheet, and he was left alone at school with the teacher glaring at him because she originally could have a free lesson, and his name was slandered by Dudley so severely that even the teachers believed in the oversized piglet. The building might be a too blinding white for his own taste, but it was good.

Now the whole group was in, the doors slid shut behind them. Harry supressed a shiver as cold rushed up his spine. 'You cold?' Jacqui asked, concerned. Harry shook his head, fighting to keep the goofy smile off his face. Jacqui was too damn similar to Molly sometimes…

The man brought them into a large room full of computers. He remembere Dudley used to have some, though he hadn't had the privelige to explore it. Hermione had shown them pictures once, before they were on the run, before he and Ron and Hermione and Draco were just carefree teenagers in the world, not giving a shit about anything but Professor Flitwick's new charm or Professor's Snape's high quality essays or the twin's newest prank or the latest sweet in Honeydukes or the price of butterbeer. Draco and Ron had been amazed, Draco a bit incredulous, while Hermione and Harry laughed gleefully for days afterwards.

* * *

The hot water poured down Harry's bare skin, slightly scalding, but it was the best experience Harry had had for the past year. Running for your lives, mourning, there weren't times when he could relax freely like he could now.

His room was about as big as he used to have at the Dursleys, but this was far more cozy and far more welcoming. Sighing happily, he flopped on the bed, breathing deeply.

_It was the summer after Sirius' death, the summer after Remus slowly and surely drew away from human contact._

_Harry only wished he was with Remus, but it wasn't possible. Instead he was stuck- here- with Snape and the ferret. _

_'Clear your mind!' Snape snapped. Grumbling Harry tried to force the image of Remus out of his consciousness, but he really sucked at occulumency. Malfoy's laboured breathing significantly slowed from behind him. 'Well done Draco.' Snape said approvingly._

_'Why do you need occulumency for, Malfoy?' Harry asked when they were dismissed. 'Stay out of my business, Potter.' Malfoy sneered. _

_'What, too scared?' Harry jeered. 'Afraid of Daddy Malfoy?'_

_Apparently that was the wrong move, because the next minute a ruby red streaked hurled towards him and he doubled over in pain, a dull thud as his head connected with te stone floor. 'Shut up,' Malfoy seethed with crazed grey eyes, 'Shut the fuck up.'_

_He swept down the corridor, leaving Harry on the ground._

Harry jolted awake. He didn't really needed reminder of the first real hex Malfoy had sent his way. The blonde had avoided him like a plague after that, though Harry still shared his occlumency sessions.

He had heard that this building had a library. Maybe it'd help take his mind off the amazing bouncing ferret.

Carol, Sophia, and Carl were just coming out when he neared the room. 'Don't go in.' Carol lay a cautionary hand on his arm. 'Shane and Mom's in there.' Carl said.

'I won't.' Harry reassured Carol. She smiled faintly and led the children down the hallway.

Of course, being a Gryffindor to the bone he hung outside, hearing as the voices within escalated. There were occasional crashes, Harry winced with every sound.

Finally Shane stormed out of the room, and Harry flattened himself against the wall. Still, Shane noticed him. Grabbing him by his collar, Shane held Harry in a death grip. 'Stay the fuck away from our business.' He growled. Releasing him, he stormed down the corridor, his footsteps resonating.

Harry slipped into the room when Shane disappeared into the hallway. Lori was sitting there, her eyes red and puffy, her clothing disheveled.

'Hey, you okay?' Harry asked softly. Lori looked up, scooting over so that he could sit on the couch as well. 'It's nothing,' She paused. 'Don't tell Rick.' Lori pleaded. 'Please.'

Harry disagreed, but he wouldn't argue with her. 'I won't.' He promised. 'I won't.'

'Thanks Riddle.' Lori whispered. They fell into comfortable silence again until Lori said, 'Shane's a douchebag.'

'Mmh.'

'He's a jerk.'

'Yup.'

'I fucking hate his guts.'

'Not bad.'

Lori burst into tears again. 'I was so fucking stupid.' She sobbed, burying her face in her hands. 'So fucking stupid.'

'It's okay to be stupid,' Harry said, even if he had no idea what was going on, 'From time to time.'

They sat there in companiable silence, Lori crying her heart out and Harry sitting next to her.

When Lori finally stood up to leave the room, she turned to say, 'You know, for a 17 year old you're pretty mature, Draco.'

Harry shrugged. 'It comes with experience.'

Smiling slightly yet sadly, Lori left Harry alone.

* * *

After a good nights rest, the group gathered again at the central control room. Then, as the good doctor explained about the infe… walkers, and the visual image of the, uh, person played on, Harry let his mind wander. He wondered how the hell he had gotten here in the first place. Was it really Dolohov's mispronounciation? After all, Wingardium le-vi-o-SA didn't produce the effects of Wingardium le-vi-O-sa.

Harry's eyes though, was attracted to some blinking red numbers on the wall. His eyes needed refocusing, after all his eyeglasses were old and he was still lost in the haze of memories.

'Um.' Harry asked tentatively when the visualiser switched off, 'What are those numbers?' He jerked a hand towards the blinking red lights. It was a countdown, he could see, but for what?

'It's a timer.' The doctor said. 'For what?' Rick's protectiveness kicked in, 'What happens after an hour?'

'The fuel runs out and the building explodes.' The doctor deadpanned.


	5. Chapter 5

**I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH SO MANY REVIEWS ESPECIALLY JOE LAWYER**

**There're some reviewers that don't really like slash, so maybe _no pairings_? ****Cause you people seem to really like Rick/Harry… originally I intended it to be Harry/Amy amd Daryl/Glenn… but if I do go along with Rick/Harry, be prepared that either 1. Lori will have to die. Or 2. She will be a bigger bitch than ever.**

**Can you also tell me some side-pairings you'd like to see? And maybe you people can suggest how to dispose of Lori if you like Rick/Harry so much xdd but GIVE ME SOME SIDE-PAIRINGS!**

**Rick/Harry (from AnimeVamp1997)**

**Shane/Lori**

**Harry/Glenn**

**Daryl/Glenn**

**Daryl/Carol**

**Harry/Amy**

**And any others you'd like to see :) And can you tell me if you're ok with no pairings?**

**The chapter's out just in time for my birthday! In case you're wondering because of time zones and stuff, it's on the 1/11! Weehaaaaaaaa**

'What the fuck are you talking about?' Shane roared. 'Didn't he make himself clear enough?' Harry snapped. Shane was damn right getting on his nerves.

As if on a hidden cue, the men (except for Dale) bolted out of the control room.

Harry just followed Rick, and Glenn who jumped agilely around.

Soon they reached a room with tanks and tanks and tanks. 'Oh shit there's no way there's so little fuel left.' T-Dog growled. 'So what, Rick?' Shane sneered. 'Hey, you alright?' Harry asked Rick. The leader of the group seemed pained by Shane's words.

'We're dead.' Glenn wailed. 'No.' Harry snapped. How old was Glenn? Perhaps one or two years older than Harry himself. 'Draco's right.' Rick said, composing himself. 'We have to go back up first.'

They dashed back up again.

The rest were waiting expectantly for them, Andrea glaring daggers at the good / bad doctor.

'It's true.' Rick breathed. Sophia let out a small shriek of fear, and Carol tugged her daughter even more closer to her.

'It reacts with air.' The doctor explained. 'Only one second of pain. Then it's all over.'

'So you really want to die, huh?' Shane growled. 'What's the point of living?' The doctor rebuked. 'It's painless. Some sort of fire given by the government. Unreproducable. My wife gave it a name.' The doctor paused as the group stared at him in horror. 'Fiendfire, she called it. Fiendfire. Strange name, huh?'

Suddenly the doctor pressed some buttons on a pad, and all the doors of the main control room closed. 'What the fuck are you doing?' Daryl demanded. 'The facility locks down by itself, as it countdowns to detonation.' The doctor explained.

'Fiendfire?' Harry croaked. He stumbled backwards, leaning on the tables.

_'Harry, go! It'll kill the horcrux as well, go!'_

_'Come on! Hermione, come on!'_

_'No, you go on Harry! The fiendfire is already too close, I won't make it out in time. Go!'_

_'Hermione!'_

_'Malfoy! Help!'_

_'Come on Potter, you heard Granger. Get going.'_

_'I'm not leaving without Hermione!'_

_'Harry, MOVE!'_

_'Draco!'_

'Draco? You alright?' Harry's eyes snapped open. Without knowing, he had curled up in a fetus position, the same way he slept. Jacqui's concerned eyes stared down at him. 'Fiendfire.' Harry croaked. 'Not again. Not again.'

On shaky legs, he stood up tentatively. Daryl was hammering at the door with T-Dog, Rick and Shane were yelling at each other, Dale was talking to the doctor in disbelief, Glenn and the moms and children were talking worridly while Andrea and Amy listened in Dale's conversation.

'I'm fine.' He whispered to Jacqui.

He turned to the man who was sentencing him to Hermione's doom. 'Why wouldn't you let us go?' He asked in a hushed whisper. 'What does it benefit with us dying?'

A slightly crazed look entered his eyes. 'The French were last to fall. But all of them- the first week half of us were gone. By the second, people wanted to go out, but deterred by the victims prowling outside. Most of us- opted out,' He paused, swallowing. 'Why do you even want to live? Isn't this easier? To opt out?'

Surprisingly, it was Amy who jumped to answer. 'We want to live, unlike you. We believe that everything's gonna be okay. You don't have a right to take this hope away from us.' She yelled angrily.

'Is it?' The doctor remarked. Harry thought his gaze lingered on Rick a bit too much.

The doors slid open with a quick punch of buttons and Daryl whooped in relief. 'Come on!' He yelled, dashing to get his things, 'We don't have much time left!'

That shocked the group out of their stupor as they dashed out.

Harry looked to Jacqui instinctively, he was used to following her around. But Jacqui shook her head slightly and smiled. "Go on, Draco, go get your stuff." Harry frowned. "What about you?" Jacqui smiled at Harry warmly. "I'm staying."

Seems like the other people weren't that fast anyways, because Lori were by their side in an instant. "What do you mean, staying? Jacqui, what are you talking about?" She demanded, eyes wide. "I'm not coming with you guys." Jacqui replied, still smiling. "No!" Harry choked out.

Jacqui turned away from them, staring at the ceiling lights. "Lori, Draco, you have hope that you won't end up like Jim. I don't. I... I can't go on any longer."

"Jacqui." Lori whispered.

"What's going on?" Rick asked from behind Harry. "Jacqui says she's staying." Harry whispered. Rick took in a sharp breath. "Jacqui, are you sure?" Rick's voice sounded tense and unnatural.

'I'm sure what I want Rick. I'm very sure.' Jacqui pleaded. 'Let me stay here, just like uou let Jim.'

'That was different!' Harry hissed.

'How different is it?' Again, that watery smile. 'Draco, you let Jim go because you respect his decision. Please, do the same for me.'

'Rick,' Lori whispered. 'Say something.'

'Jacqui,' He asked, 'Are you really sure?'

'Yeah,' Jacqui met his gaze firmly. 'I'm sure.'

Tears flooded out of Harry's eyes. He thought that he was so used to death, that he wouldn't feel anything about it anymore. He didn't cry when Hermione was burnt to ashes. He didn't cry when Severus' blood clotted with Nagini's venom coursing through it.

_And the third son embraced death like an old friend_.

He was dimly aware of Rick dragging a still protesting Lori away, but he was more aware of the hug he had pulled Jacqui in, this mother figure he had had for a grand total of 2 days. But it was more than he ever had.

Then Daryl was there, he had gotten Harry's stuff already and was dragging him to the group, but not before sharing a smile with Jacqui. 'Bye.' She whispered. Daryl nodded. 'Take care.' Jacqui said. 'Come on Draco, get a move on.' Daryl chided, dragging Harry further away from the woman.

Rick was putting something on the ground in front of a big glass pane when Daryl finally got him there. 'He'a using a grenade. Hope it'll blow the fucking glass pane apart.' T-Dog explained.

Then Rick was sprinting back at them, and the explosion racked the buiding. Harry watched, fascinated, as the glass went up in flames- with only a hairline fracture when the flames receded. The others were still ringing from the blast, crouching on the ground and around each other. Harry let Draco's hawthorne wand slip out of his sleeve slightly. He wasn't sure how compatible they were, Draco's wand would never replace Harry's own holly. '_Confringo_.' he whispered.

The bolt of light streaked quickly at the window and it shattered, raining glass just as the others turned back to look. 'Let's go!' Rick roared.

**OH NO Shane's getting riled up about Harry...**

**BY THE WAY, someone pointed out that doulble quotations is for speech and single quotations for thoughts. This is not a universal rule! As I won't have any thoughts in form of speech, I don't need to defrentiate between double quotations and single quotations! Why I use single quotations is because I'm typing this on my ipod and it's more conveniant to use single quotations.**


	6. Chapter 6

**sorry guys, this isn't an update. I'm putting this on temporary hiatus. I'm having the worst moments of my lifetime right now, frankly speaking I can't write anything when I'm crying myself to sleep. So yeah. Wait for the next update.**

**To not violate ffnet rules, this is a few sentences that will appear in the next chapter:**

He could feel the heat clinging to their skin, the fiery ball of inferno searing the sky. The smell of burnt ash filling the air. Harry's magic buzzed crazily as the fiendfire's energy roared.

The trek away was silent. Harry sat alone with Dale and Glenn, as they drove along the highway, leaving the ashes behind them.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm back! Thanks for all those positive reviews you gave me, you guys did more than my 'friends' ever did :) But then it was midterms and dad took my ipod away… but it's finally ended! btw the long awaited 'name confrontation' scene is coming up XD in maybe two or three chapters? Also would it be okay if I add characters and relationships from the comics? I don't really want to add in OCs…**

He could feel the heat clinging to their skin, the fiery ball of inferno searing the sky. The smell of burnt ash filling the air. Harry's magic buzzed crazily as the fiendfire's energy roared.

The trek away was silent. Harry sat alone with Dale and Glenn, as they drove along the highway, leaving the ashes behind them. Somewhere, nagging in his mind, was the reminder that the RV was painstakingly empty. But no, he was hardened enough that tears would not fall.

Very soon they arrived at a highway, out of the abandoned city of Atlanta.

There were some occasional cars, upturned on the side of the highway. Some were charred, scorched, or crushed, driven up a tree. Harry cringed when a trapped walker stretched its hands beneath a rubble of a once beautiful blue car.

Dale seemed immobile to it already, his eyes watching the road. Glenn had his eyes fixated on the road map, though his eyes darted everywhere.

Harry let the smooth driving lull him to sleep, his head resting against the window.

He was awoken by Glenn's shaking. 'Wa's wrong?' He yawned, unfocused. 'We're stuck at a graveyard.' Glenn replied. This has Harry shooting right up. His past experiences with graveyards… putting it simply, they weren't pleasant. Then he realized the pun. 'Of cars.' Glenn grinned, seeing Harry's startled expression. Harry stuck his tongue out and stretched his stiff legs, leaning on the wall to stand up. As he followed Glenn out the RV, he saw Andrea and Shane polishing those guns of theirs. They both ignored Harry.

The rest of the group were already out, Dale and T-Dog were crouched in front of the truck, white smoke unfurling. 'Um what's wrong?' Harry asked Glenn. 'The hose…' Glenn trailed off. 'No thanks to me.' He said glumly. 'What's wrong?' Harry asked again.

Glenn dragged him away from Dale and T-Dog. 'It's to do with Daryl's brother, Merle.' He explained, 'Long story short, the truck we were using had a hose that could replace it. But then, Merle stole it from us, and we couldn't make it back in time.'

'For what?' Harry asked, still slightly confused. Why would Daryl's brother steal something from Daryl? Glenn didn't answer.

'Anyways, the hose was always barely hanging through, and now it finally gave.' Glenn said. He didn't give much thought again.

Glenn wandered off to help T-Dog with the salvaging, so Harry headed to Rick, seeing if he needed help plus he wasn't all that familiar with the other people anyways.

A small hand tugging at his arm, though, halted him. Sophia looked up with her wide eyes, one arm around her doll. 'Draco, can you help us explore?' She asked. Carl stood behind her, a few feets back. 'I… I…' Harry looked up to where Carol was. She was talking with Lori, next to Daryl's motorcycle. 'What does Carol and Lori say?' He asked.

'Mom said I only needed to stick with an adult.' Sophia said. Harry didn't think he was an adult yet… but who was to resist a young girl's puppy eyes?** (A/N: Here I'm actually thinking about comic Sophia, who has really big eyes xdd)** Harry looked questioningly at Carl, who mumbled something under his breath. Harry assumed that he was going to come along no matter what.

So the Great Quest started. Carl was trying to poke into every car but Harry held them back. Some were splashed with dried blood, and he didn't believe Sophia could handle it. Those with the walkers in it? Just in case, better stay away.

The real catch in the day came when Carl spotted a bag filled with knives. Well, knives to Harry. He wasn't sure what they were called, after all he never took muggle studies. Sophia shied away from the dead walker, but Harry had to look after Carl's back.

'So, you wanna cut up some walkers?' Harry asked Carl as he clutched possessively at his prize. Carl's arms tightened around the bag. 'It's how it is now, isn't it?' He shot back. 'There's not really a choice.'

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but closed it when Carl dashed off to Shane, ducking Harry's gaze. 'Draco,' Sophia asked, tugging slightly at his sleeve. 'Do I have to, you know, cut up walkers as well?' The girl looked up at him, half-torn between hopefulness and calm resignation.

Harry crouched down so that he was level to the girl. 'Sophia,' He started, 'I can't tell you that it'll be all over one day, when I myself doubt that. I can't tell you if you'll have to defend yourself and your mother.' He paused, face flashing back to another blonde. 'But when the time comes, you'll know what to do.' He patted Sophia's head, who stared at him with her wide eyes, hugging her doll tightly. 'I can't tell you that the next morning you're going to wake up from this dream, Sophia, so stop worrying about these things. Leave these to us adults.'

'But I don't want it to be a dream.' Sophia said suddenly, her voice muffled. Harry stood up abruptly. 'Sorry?'

'I said,' Sophia said a bit louder, 'I don't want it to be a dream.'

She tugged Harry further away from the group, among the cars. 'Dad isn't here anymore and he won't hit Mom anymore, and Mom doesn't have to work all the time and can protect me.' Sophia confessed. 'I… I feel safe here.'

Harry ruffled her hair, but didn't speak. He knew that feeling.

**(A/N: I contemplated ending it here)**

Then he heard it. His head snapped to the left quickly. Yes, he hadn't heard wrong. He patted Sophia urgently just as she gave a small squeak in fear.

Holding her hand, he frantically made his way back to the group. 'Dale!' He said once, attracting the old man's attention atop the RV. He jerked his finger backwards. Dale looked into his binoculars. 'A herd!' He exclaimed. Rick's eyes widened. 'Under the cars!' they wouldn't make it to the RV in time and the walkers might push over the RV. Tugging Sophia's hand, Harry crawled under the car before Sophia wriggled in.

'My doll!' Sophia whispered frantically. The girl had left the doll outside in the sun. But then the first wave of Walker stench hit them. Sophia was shaking next to him and he quickly put his hand over the girl's mouth. 'Later.' He hissed in answer.

Under the car directly opposite was Rick and Carl, and Rick had done the same to Carl.

Rotten, decaying, decomposed flesh hang off the bones that walked by. The nonexistential growls and grunts reminded Harry of the cave, of the Inferi. Perhaps they weren't that different at all. Occasionally a walker bumped into the car, but none discovered the humans hiding beneath.

One instance he heard a dull thud of something, and he almost gasped. He looked briefly to Rick over Sophia's nose, to see him mouth 'Daryl'. Harry almost sighed im relief. Daryl could take care of himself.

At some point, the stench gradually faded away, until it left a slight rotten odour.

Harry briefly saw Rick move to get up, because then Sophia had slipped out. He moved to grab Sophia back, but his hand met empty air as she wriggled out briskly to grab her doll.

Then there was a scream.

**Oh no! What is Harry going to do? No Shane-bashing in this chappy yet... Should I kill off Shane in the next chapter? I could, depending on what Harry is going to do... **


	8. Chapter 8

**DON'T KILL ME! I was rather torn writing this chapter… I had a few paths to choose from and they're all just begging for me…**

Everything happened so fast, Harry barely had time to react when Sophia slipped out completely from his view, then a decomposed head appeared at the bottom of the car.

'Bloody hell!' He snarled and scrabbled out on the other side. Bad move. There he met two other walkers, who immediately started lumbering at Harry. On top of that, Harry had no idea where Sophia had went. 'Fuck my life.' he growled, then took off, leaping over the siderail and into the woods.

He tried to not dwell on the fact that every woods he had entered in his life had promised nothing good.

He scampered across the ravine, his eyes scouring for the blonde girl, with her luminous eyes and ever so pointing chin **(A/N: This is my opinion of TV show Sophia. Way too mature face for a kid.)**

Growls rang through the air, the walkers lumbering through the woods. The silent woods. There were no birds fluttering away in alarm, no critters running amok on the soil, no little rodents squeeing their fear. The last time Harry entered a wood like this one, he almost got killed. Narrowly escaping to have Mulciber and Dolohov trying to portkey him to some mysterious place and instead-

He got distracted. 'Gah!' he cried as suddenly a walker emerged from nowhere. Its nails narrowly missed his face.

Sprinting off another path, Harry didn't dare think of other stuff again, instead to keep his eyes peeled for walkers. He only hoped Rick was looking for them.

He could faintly hear the growls of the walkers on his trail, crashing across the greenery.

'Shit!' He snarled, veering off as another walker emerged. He had no weapons, he had no way to tell the group where he was, he had no idea where Sophia was- hell, he didn't know what he was doing. He knew he had to find some way to kill those walkers behind him, or they would just draw more walkers.

Then the worst thing happened. He tripped. More walkers emerged from the undergrowth, closing in on the sprawled boy on the ground. Ju- just something! Harry reached blindly for anything, for everything, just to defend himself. Just anything.

His hands brushed his pants leg.

Yer a wizard, Harry.

'Indencio!' He shouted, whipping Draco's wand out. A burst of flame spewed out, instantly latching onto two of the walkers, devouring them hungrily. The flames weren't as strong as his old wand, but this wand accepted him enough, or maybe knew its master was dead, to be wielded by himself.

A blasting curse took care of the nearest walker, but its rotten blood sprayed over Harry.

With his reacquaintance with magic, walker corpses lay beside him, his whole shirt covered with the muck. He quickly scrambled to his feet, the wand in his death grip.

Panting heavily, he took in his surroundings carefully. There didn't seem to be anymore walkers around, but he still had to find Sophia. Where was she?

Hefting up his wand, the familiar words slipped instinctively out of his lips. 'Point me Sophia.'

The wand trembled under his hands as he followed the magical trail. He hoped that he could reach the blonde girl in time.

He found her hiding under the riverbank, safely secluded from walkers.

'Draco!' She whimpered. She reached for him, clutching her doll possessively with one hand. 'Rickand shanecamealongandhetoldmetoh idehereandthentorunupbacktot h-'

'Hush,' Harry interrupted, 'Calm down. Rick found you?'

Sophia nodded, biting her lip as she followed Harry out onto the banks of the river. 'And Shane. They were going to lead the walkers away and told me to go back after some time.'

'Let's go, shall we?'

Sophia grasped his hand tightly as they started back, Harry peeling his eyes for danger.

'Draco?' Sophia suddenly asked, 'You're holding a stick.'

Harry nodded. 'Sophia, this is a secret between you and me, okay?'

'What secret?' She asked incredulously.

A wild walker suddenly emerged from the trees.

Raising his wand, Harry fired off a blasting curse, the bones and rotten flesh immediately plastered on the trees.

He looked back at the awestruck Sophia. 'You alright?' He asked. Children were often more accepting to the existence of magic.

'That- you-' She shrieked once, than quickly clamped her hands over her mouth. 'You-'

'A secret, alright?' Harry asked again. Sophia nodded her head rapidly. Harry smiled slightly. 'Come on, let's get back to the RV.'

The thing was, when they got back to the road, the RV was gone.

**The thing is, I know, this is like super duper short BUT I NEE YOU GUYS TO DECIDE FOR ME**

**1. A. Kill off Shane now and forget the epic showdown scene between Rick and Shane (and Carl)**

**B. Nooooo let's build the climax up!**

**2. A. Harry goes directly to Hershel's.**

**B. Harry rejoins the group first.**

**Decide on these two questions! Please!**


	9. Chapter 9

**蛇年快樂！**

OH GOTT what have I done in my past life to deserve you guys?! I was expecting everyone to roar at me for updating so late, but instead… well, it probably helps that I'm the only non M rated fic in this category xd

**By the time I updated this chapter Beyond Hope has: 108 reviews, 176 followers, 97 favourites, and 5 communities. Only 8 chapters!**

Recently I got myself hooked on Axis Powers: Hetalia (a jap anime) and so expect me to suddenly throwing in foreigners and stuff because I LOVE HETALIA SO MUCH! Okk rant done xdd

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**AND UM PLEASE READ**

**If I decide to do a cover competition, who's in?**

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_'HERD ON ROAD GOT TO LEAVE.'_

The words were hastily sprayed over the windshield of a car, probably very recent. Some canned food were placed on the hood of the car. 'Bloody hell.' Harry cursed under his breath. Sophia's forehead wrinkled. 'Then what now?'

'Not sure,' Harry said, 'But I'm sure to hell we can't stay here.'

'But mom will come back!' Sophia gasped, 'We have to stay here!' She tugged at Harry's sleeve.

'I know, Sophia, but we can't wait here.'

Sophia's bottom lip stuck out in a pout, but she nodded reluctantly. Before she could turn away from Harry though, her eyes brimmed with tears. 'Hey,' Harry lowered his voice to a whisper, 'It's not like we're not coming back, okay? We're going to find Carol, just not now. Now we have to stay safe.'

Tugging her by her hand, he led her further down the car graveyard. 'We'll follow the main road. There ought to be some abandoned houses we can stay in.'

There were cars of all shapes and sizes littering the highway. Some still had walkers strapped to the seat, but they were stripped of all flesh and their bones hung at an awkward angle. Too dead to walk, Harry thought to himself.

Harry grabbed a duffel that lay at the side of a blood-stained babyseat. Sophia vomited. The girl stuck close to Harry as he salvaged what he could from the cars.

They didn't walk for long that day. Light was dimming, fast. 'Harry,' Sophia said, 'Would that be safe for us to sleep in?' She pointed to a white truck sitting at the roadside innocently.

Wand out, Harry did a quick sweep of the truck. 'It's safe enough,' Harry said. He lay the duffel down on the ground of the crate on the truck. It was barely big enough to act as a pillow for both of them. 'There's no mattress or blanket, we'll try and find one tomorrow.' Harry muttered. He quickly Dillusioned them, hoping they wouldn't be ambushed.

Sophia had already lain down on the makeshift pillow. 'Night Harry.' She mumbled. She seemed to be really tired. 'Night Sophia.' he whispered back.

'Harry,' Sophia said suddenly, 'Aren't you going to sleep?'

'I will,' Harry answered, 'Go to sleep first.'

'Promise me you'll come to bed, Harry,' Sophia said stubbornly.

'Sophia-'

'Promise.'

Harry sighed. 'Alright, I will, but you have to sleep first.'

Soon Sophia's breathing evened out, and Harry eased out of Sophia's lax grip. 'Sleep tight, Sophia.'

_Sleep tight, Harry_

_Long fingers patted his unruly black hair as another vision threatened to attack his sleep._

_'But it's so hard,' he whined. 'Just clear your mind like Uncle Sev taught us,' The owner of those fingers said, 'Sleep tight.'_

When Sophia awoke, Harry handed her some beef jerky from the food the group had left them. 'You were really tired,' Harry said, a smile playing on his lips. Sophia blushed. 'I guess so,' She mumbled.

'Our rations should last us three to four days, if nothing goes wrong. I want to explore further down the highway.' Harry said, picking up the duffel.

'But mom!'

'It's not like we're not going back,' Harry sighed.

Obediently Sophia followed him out of the truck, and the two of them made their way across the deathzone once again.

It was midday when Harry decided to let Sophia rest for a bit. Although she had slept a lot, she seemed to be still a bit weary. Twice they had passed some roamers, and while Harry had took care of them, Sophia had seized up in shock. If that went on, Harry wasn't sure if he could protect Sophia.

'Sophia,' He stopped and told her after she had frozen for the second time, 'If you see a walker, don't just stand there. RUN.'

A sharp tug from Sophia on his sleeve dragged his attention back to the girl. 'I think I saw a deer in the woods!' Sophia exclaimed breathlessly, 'Can I go see?'

'But…'

'Please?' Sophia begged.

'Alright,' Harry's heart softened, 'I'll coming with you though.'

Nodding enthusiastically, Sophia dragged him into the greenery.

True, there was a silver-pelted fawn that was grazing warily, its hooves clawing at the ground. 'Careful of the rocks,' Harry whispered to Sophia as she slowly made her way closer to the faun. 'They will hurt you if you fall.'

The fawn paused in its scavenging and lifted its head up, one of its big eyes fixated on the approaching girl.

'I wonder where her mother is,' Sophie remarked to herself.

'Careful.' Harry muttered under his breath.

Sophia walked forward slowly, one of her hands outstretched. Her breaths emerged in soft puffs.

Harry shuffled his feet lightly. There was an uneasy vibe in the air. Faint, but it was there. His eyes darted everywhere, trying to identify the source.

The fawn's ears twitched.

Suddenly a piercing whistle like sound burst from the fawn as it suddenly collapsed onto the ground, its eyes rolling to the back of its head. **(A/N: I have no idea how a deer sounds like. I only know they makes sound.)**

Things happened so fast, Harry didn't even know what had happened until Sophia's delayed scream shook him out of his stupor. Blood splayed from the faun's leg from where a small-sized walker had ripped into it. It fought to stand up, its brittle back legs pawing at the ground frantically. The walker ripped into its throat. Finally its cries were silent.

A sharp gunshot sent the walker back, forehead splayed open, instantly shattering the fragile skeleton, but Harry could care less.

Blood was pooling onto the sharp rocks, mingling with Sophia's tears as she held her shaking hands to the obsidan embedded into her ankle.

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**Just something really random, I actually thought of that white truck as the truck Merle stole. Since in season 2 we see that the prison is actually just around a mountain away from the farm, and we know Woodbury is near the prison, so if Merle got picked up around there it makes sense. It doesn't make a difference though. And in case you're wondering, Harry thinks the others have already abandoned them. And I never actually planned on writing the flashback xdd**

**Originally I had wanted this chapter to be really calm, just Harry and Sophia coming upon civilization when he was siphoning gas (this is something that doesn't make sense - they never fear of running out of gas! Or ammo!) but then this came along… and yes, I reused the deer idea.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry… the last chappie kinda sucked, didn't it? Still seeking for cover art though! And yes, I'm aware I'm not typing american-english-ish enough since I was raised the British way in Hong Kong…**

'Oh shit shit shit she didn't get bitten, did she?' A huge man - fortunately living - lumbered out among the trees, his rifle slightly smoking.

'Draco…' Sophia sobbed, 'It hurts!'

With trembling hands, Harry moved to the stone embedded in Sophia's flesh. The other guy, though, had different ideas. 'Kid! Don't touch it! It'll just hurt her!'

Harry immediately sprung back like he was stung by a hex. 'What- she-'

The man lay a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder. 'I'm living with a doctor. Follow me and we'll have her patched up in no time. I'm Otis, by the way.'

Nodding dumbly, Harry held the man's gun as he scooped Sophia up, bridal style, into his arms.

(A/N: Otis in the comics was a lean man, and this Otis isn't exactly lean but he isn't that fat guy who can surprisingly run as fast as a cop in the tv series)

Harry crashed through the woods blindly, the weight of the rifle causing his arms to ache. He could no longer hear Sophia's whimpers from the front. Harry didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

It was some sort of farm, Harry speculated, that Otis led him to. A women with a pair of binoculars stood within the fence, apparently shocked. 'Patricia!' Otis roared, 'The girl needs Hershel!'

The woman quickly dashed into the house with a white picket fence. Otis unlocked the fence and dashed in, shouting to Harry over his shoulder, 'Lock the fence kid!'

Harry slid the latch back into position and rushed after the older man, who had already disappeared into the house.

When Harry got up to the verenda, the door was wide open and he crashed in, legs burning with exhaustion. A brunette, who wasn't the woman at the gate, grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him into a bedroom.

The room was spacious, larger than Dudley's second bedroom. Warm light reflected from the walls. The furniture was also neatly arranged. There weren't a lot, but it sufficed.

Harry's attention, however, was drawn to the girl on the bed. Sophia was as pale as Binns, her eyes wide in shock. Harry was strangely reminded of his second year.

The black stone lay innocently on the bedside cabinet, soaked with red.

An old man was poking some white fluffy thing to her ankle, eliciting a sharp whimper from Sophia everytime he did that.

The woman from the gate patted Harry's shoulder gingerly. 'You sister's going to be okay. Only a blood vessel was hurt, she'll recover. She lost some blood though.'

He nodded numbly, looking on at Sophia being treated with primitive muggle means. How he wished for a blood replinishing potion right now! Sophia was just so… white.

The old man wrapped some bandages around Sophia's ankle, then stood up to address Harry. 'She's going to be okay, son. Let's talk outside and let the girl rest,' Putting a calloused hand on Harry's shoulder, he gently but firmly steered Harry out of the room.

'I'm Hershel Greene. What's your name, son?'

'Draco Riddle.' Harry responded automatically. 'That's an interesting name.' Hershel replied. 'Now, how did you and the girl happen to be in the woods?'

Hershel gestured Harry to sit at the couch and a brown-haired girl handed him a glass of water. He took a gulp and told him about the group, how they encountered the herd and were cut off, returning to find the group gone and their decision to move on.

'That was a bold thing to do.' The brunette who had told him where Sophia was before said from her place at the kitchen.

'Such brave kids.' A big man emerged from the door next to the kitchen. 'I'm Adam, by the way. Hershel's my dad,' He wrapped his arm around the shoulders of the brunette. 'This is my little sis Rachel.' Rachel stuck her tongue out immaturely. 'That's Maggie,' the brown-haired woman, and 'Beth.' A young blonde girl waved slightly. 'Patricia and Otis are our neighbours.' Adam introduced.

'I'm Draco Riddle,' Harry introduced, 'The girl in there is Sophia.' Now thinking back, he didn't really know much about the girl. He didn't know much about any of his companions.

'You can stay with us, if the group doesn't find you.' Adam said cheerfully. 'Adam…' Rachel warned. 'What?' Adam asked his sister, 'You're always complaining that there aren't enough men around and that you can't pamper Beth anymore.' Rachel huffed but didn't protest anymore.

'You must be starving then, poor boy, I'll fix some eggs for you,' Patricia said, moving to the fridge, 'Maggie, can you go in and watch over Sophia?' Maggie nodded, moving past Beth to go into the room. 'How long will it take Sophia to heal?' Harry asked.

'She seems strong and healthy,' Hershel said, 'Should be good in a week or so, but if the wound is infected… we've run out of antibiotics.'

'I'll go get some.' Otis volunteered. 'I made the girl fall over, after all.'

'I'lll go with you.' Harry said quickly. But Hershel shook his head. 'The girl'd like a familiar face around when she wakes.'

'Meanwhile laddie,' Adam said, 'You should probably take a bath. You get any spare clothes?' Harry shook his head. 'They're with the group.'

'I'll see if any of…' Adam suddenly trailed off. An awkward silence suddenly hung over the Greene family. 'Shawn.' Herhel said gruffly. 'You haven't forgotten what your brother's name is, have you?'

'Nope dad. We'll go through Shawn's stuff to see if anything fits you.'

Adam steered Harry down the corridor and into a room which seemed like hadn't seen daylight for a long time. Some books and clothes were still casually strewn over the bed and table. A layer of fine dust had settled itself over the furniture.

As Adam rummaged in a closet, Harry couldn't help but ask, 'Who's Shawn?'

Adam did not stop in his rummaging. 'Shawn's my brother. They got him when the fence wasn't up yet.' No one had to further elaborate on what they meant.

Harry felt bad for asking.

'Are you alright?' Harry ventured. Adam nodded jerkily. 'It's been a long time since… the world's already been like this for so long, there's nothing we can do, are there?'

Harry wanted to say yes.

Finally Adam handed Harry a tee with 'I love ducks!' on it and a pair of shorts.

'These should fit you, you have a similar build to Shawn anyways. The bathrooms just around the corner.'

Harry nodded and left the room.

'Are you alright?'

'Yeah, just… close the door behind you.'

Beth was outside, and she hurridly moved away. Harry pretended her eyes weren't red and puffy.

**Yay! Finally veering off the main line of the series and onto the comics XP Adam, Shawn, and Rachel (I think it's Rachel) are members of Hershel's family in the comics (so many children!) and no Jimmy, sorry. They're also going to take medicines as well :) By the way, I may actually add something from the video game in AHAHAHA**

**Oh and I forgot something, why did Beth faint (or something like that)?**


	11. Chapter 11

**OH GOTT I hate the evil called common tests. It's basically a test, just that the whole form has it together, has the pressure of exams, yet we still have to do homework and stuff. The terrible thing is that this year's test seem to be more about common sense than anything else, yet we've been studying like crazy... exams are in less than a month, I have 3 projects to do and drama performance… someone save me… **

**It's just that… I'm facing an important crossroad in my life. That's no excuse for my slow speed, but the decisions I make now, the achievements I have, they will all carry on into and affect my three years of senior secondary (I have no idea what it is called in other countries), my public exam, and ultimately my university life. My performance and results this year will affect my entire life, so I wasn't able to write as often as I used to. **

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******Oh and I'm looking for a beta. So basically I need someone who will look over my mistakes (god knows how many of them I have made) and set a deadline, for example three weeks, for me to finish a chapter because I really need someone to push me XP**

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Oh great Merlin, it had really been too long since Harry had felt water cascading down his back. Even if he couldn't enjoy the water for long, it was nice to actually feel clean for once. After the hecticness and craziness he had been through this whole week, Harry was glad for a moment of silence and purity.

Soon though, too soon he knew he had to come out, before he wasted the precious water. Dressing in the clothes, they were still a bit too big for him. Maggie and Beth were outside, conversing in low tones. They looked up when they heard him.

'Sophia hasn't woken up yet,' Maggie said, 'It's almost time for dinner anyways, wanna help?'

Harry appeared enthusiastic, but he knew they were as wary of him as he was wary of them. Nice people who suddenly appear? Not that likely.

He followed the two girls to the fridge. on it were many photographs, very much like the postcards stuck to the Dursleys' fridge. Harry could recognize the members of the family in the photos, save for two.

One was a young brunette man, arms slung casually over a younger Beth and Maggie's shoulders. 'That's Shawn.' Maggie said when she saw what he was looking at. 'Take these potatoes to the sink.

'Whose the lady next to Hershel?' He asked. The girls exchanged a glance. 'That's mom.' Beth answered.

'Come on,' Maggie said, 'We need to prepare dinner.' She opened the fridge wide and crouched down in front of it.

As she began to retrieve ingredients, Harry asked, 'Where does all the electricity comes from? I thought all of the power stations are done.'

'We have a generator,' Beth replied shortly. Harry supposed that it answered his question, Except he didn't know what a generator was.

Harry almost choked when he saw their selection of food. 'You sure you don't need to… save up or something?' he asked.

Beth smiled. 'We're on a farm, Riddle, we feed ourselves.'

'The most part of our harvest is stored up in the mill,' Maggie added, 'We have more now that we don't have to sell them to the market.'

A sudden sense of melancholy washed through the three. 'What do I have to do?' Harry asked awkwardly, 'What are we making?'

Beth relaxed her stiffened shoulders and guided Harry through the kitchen, but Maggie was still tensed up, fully understanding what she had said.

The Greene family plus Harry enjoyed a lively dinner. It was as if he was back at the Weasely's again, eating dinner with the family of redheads and fighting over food.

Sophia still didn't wake up.

* * *

_Take the broom, Harry! _

_I'll come out soon! _

* * *

'Can't sleep, eh?' Otis asked when he heard Harry's footsteps. Harry shook his head, and sat down next to he man on the veranda. He eyed the rifle on the man's lap suspiciously. Otis saw where his gaze was at and snorted, patting his gun. 'This is my baby,' Otis said, 'Won her off at the town pub, from a man who had as much respect for this beauty as I respected my cranky maths teacher. A damn waste, I call it.'

'I don't know much about guns,' Harry admitted, 'Haven't touched a single one in my life.'

'Damn right you shouldn't!' Otis exclaimed, 'This world ain't for kids anymore, but there are some things I reckon are still applicable now.'

'You keep watch everynight?' Harry asked.

Otis nodded. 'The girls keep watch at day, me, Adam, and Pat take turns.' He supplied. 'Patricia, I mean.' he added.

'Hershel said you were neighbours. '

'I lived just across the road. Pat was at my home then, my old parents were down at Atlanta, when the whole thing started. We ran into Jimmy, that's the boy whose as big as Beth, and well, we figured out what happened.

'Hershel was kind enough to let us stay, after all I worked on the farm from day to day.' Otis went on, 'So Pat and I stayed here, and we never left.

'What about you, Riddle? How did you wound up with the little girl?'

'I was stumbling out of the woods,' Harry admitted ruefully, 'When I bumped into our group. I passed out, but Jacqui, who was with the group, she took care of me and I've been with the group ever since.'

'Where did you come from? You have a distinctive British accent, but what are you doing here in America?'

'Uh I'm from England, and I… was… in… America… because…'

'I know!' Otis crowed, 'You're an exchange, right?'

'Yup!' Harry replied, relieved.

'So, how's England like? I've never been there, I always wanted to but I never got the time.' Otis asked, clearly very curious.

But how could Harry describe London? Specifically, Muggle London? Harry had barely been there himself.

But Otis was staring at him expectantly, ready for his lie.

'I grew up in a place called Privet Drive,' he started carefully, 'It was a fairly simple cottage, I suppose, identical houses in the whole street. There were four bedrooms and a cupboard under the stairs.'

'Sounds pretty American,' Otis commented, 'But I suppose they're the same everywhere. Do you English people really love tea like they say?'

Harry was a bit surprised by the quick change of topic, but he answered, 'I suppose not, well, at least not me.' Then he added, 'Come to think of it, I hate tea. Tea leaves, actually.'

'Why?'

Suddenly a low humming sound filled the air. Otis stood up immediately, alert. Harry rose more slowly. 'Walkers bumped into something?' He suggested.

The sound increased.

'No,' Otis shook his head firmly. 'No, there's nothing for them to bump into. Not the zombies.'

He cocked his rifle and aimed it into the dark. "You'll have to tell me the tale of why-Draco-Riddle-hates-tea-leaves later." Helpfully Harry took the man's flashlight from his pocket and shone it into the dark.

They could see nothing.

**Er… and I have no idea if Jimmy and Beth share the same age xp **

**And I have never went to Europe or America or Australia bla bla bla so I have no idea what these places look like. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Oh dear oh dear finals are starting! I really need to get the electives I chose, but they're pretty popular and not to mention there's only one class for history this year! Just 40 people get to study History! I flunked my common test, I can't flunk my exam as well!**

**Cheers to my betas, Mrastleysghost and Calmasis!**

* * *

Harry didn't dare breathe. It was as if the creatures of the night had fallen silent as well, or rather, the roaring in Harry's ears was growing louder and louder.

He darted his flashlight erratically, searching for the source, but Otis laid a big hand on his arm and stilled him. "If it's walkers, they'll be attracted to the light. There's no use in waving it around," he said quietly.

Harry exhaled a soft sigh against the dark of the night. "But what if it's not walkers?" He asked quietly.

"They won't make it past the fence," Otis replied, equally as quiet, "If they're not the zombies, they won't come at night, it means they're looking for shelter, and if it were humans, they wouldn't risk destroying the fence."

The two stood there, rigid. Harry's heart felt like it wanted to leap out of his throat.

"Maybe they left?" Harry breathed. "Maybe…"

Otis shrugged, shouldering his rifle again and sitting down, pulling Harry down with him. "There's nothing we can do now, Draco, except wait." Harry switched off the flashlight, momentarily flinching from the darkness.

"Don't tell the girls," Otis said, "I'll tell Adam and Hershel, but don't tell the girls. No point in making them worry."

Harry nodded jerkily. He didn't see the point in hiding the fact from the women, but he admired Otis for that.

* * *

"She still hasn't woken," Maggie said to Harry as he entered the room. "Is it… normal?" Harry asked hesitantly. The girl leaned back into her wooden chair, stretching her arms. "There's nothing we can do now. It's all up to her."

"Draco," Hershel asked from the other side of the bed, "Otis should make the trip sooner or later. The more we wait the more risk Sophia has."

Suddenly Harry heard the sound of a motor. Maggie stood up immediately, eyes wide. He could hear the door opening and closing, and through the blinds he could see Adam and Otis with their rifles walking away from the house.

"What's going on?" Beth asked from the doorway, Rachel hugged her shoulders. "Nothing major," Hershel replied.

Harry turned away from the blind, letting Maggie go up and see.

"There're other survivors!" she gasped. "There's two men. With a very-" she paused, "...is that a cop's uniform?"

Harry perked up. "Cop?" he asked, coming up to the blinds. "Merlin' beard it's Rick!" he breathed.

"Are you sure?" Hershel asked, "We trust you."

"Yup. It's Rick and Shane," Harry said, "If they're here, that means the group is here as well."

"Beth, Rachel, look over Sophia. Maggie, Draco, let's go." The three of them walked down the corridor in silence. Harry could hear the sound of the door opening, and Rick's authoritative voice with Adam's gentler replies.

"Good to see you again," Rick said, once he laid his eyes upon Harry.

Harry approached him cautiously. "Uh… yeah."

"Adam told me about Sophia's condition," he said. "Once the group is settled I'll go with Otis to take the medication."

"Riddle," Shane barked quietly, "Can we trust them?"

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "They've been taking care of Sophia ever since she was hurt," he explained, "Besides, they haven't tried to kill me yet,"

"Are you sure?"

Harry did not bother answering.

"Carol's been worried out of her mind for Sophia," Rick said, changing the subject, "Otis is bringing them."

"Will Carol try to kill me?" Harry joked, "Sophia still hasn't woken up yet."

"Maybe with Carol she will wake up sooner," Rick said, "Besides, you saved her life. Carol can't say anything to that."

Hershel and Maggie were waiting at a side, not interrupting the reunion between them but now Hershel stepped forward, extending his hand. Rick shook it. "Rick Grimes," he self-introduced, then gestured to his companion, "And Shane Walsh."

"Hershel Greene," The older man said. "I've heard about you. It seems impressive, living on the road for so long just in an RV."

"It wasn't that long, actually," Rick said, "Feels like yesterday I woke up in the hospital alone."

"To me it is eternity." Hershel smiled grimly. "Nonetheless, you're welcome to enjoy your stay while Sophia heals. I'd recommend staying here in that time. It wouldn't be good for her to be out in the elements again... at least not right away. We don't have much room in the house, and you'd have to sleep in your RV, but we got plenty of food and during the day you won't have to worry about being safe."

"What about your barn? You think we could move into that place? Most of us are pretty sick of cramming into that RV." Rick asked.

"No!" Adam said sharply. "I mean... uh... the barn's full of chicken. And uh... hay. So uh... yeah, it's not fit for living."

"Then maybe let us camp out in the open?" Rick offered another option, but Harry didn't miss the glance Shane gave Adam. "Fine by me." Hershel shrugged.

After some simple introductions, the rest of the group finally arrived. Carol was the first to dart in, and Maggie, sensing her anxiety, placed her hand gently on the older woman's arm and guided her to Sophia's room, followed by Lori, Rick, Harry, and Hershel.

The estranged woman let out a whimper at the sight of her motionless daughter. "Sophia is safe, ma'am," Rachel reassured.

Suddenly Carol turned on Harry, absolutely livid. "You!" She snapped, "You caused Sophia to be hurt! This is all your fault!"

Rick stepped between the fuming woman and the dumbstruck Harry, hands out as if to calm them down. "Now, Carol. Draco saved Sophia's life, besides, this was an accident."

"Don't you dare play mediator, Rick! You won't understand what a mother thinks!" Carol seethed.

"Let her be, Rick," Lori said, "She won't be able to think properly with Sophia… like this."

They migrated back to the living room again, where the rest of the group was mingling with the rest of the Greenes. Andrea looked up from Amy and Adam's tic-tac-toe.

"How's the girl?" She asked.

"Sophia's fine," Carol said, "No thanks to Riddle."

Harry winced. Andrea threw him an imperceptible glance before clapping her hands authoritatively. "I think introductions are in order."

"That's Andrea, her sister Amy is playing… with Adam, Hershel's eldest. Lori, my wife, my son Carl, T-Dog and Daryl, the one with the crossbow, Dale, and Glenn."

The members of the group all waved or nodded their head slightly at their name, but Glenn's gaze seemed to linger on the Greene's family second daughter.

"I'm Hershel," he introduced himself, "My eldest, as Rick just said, Adam, and my daughters Rachel, Beth, and Maggie. Otis and Patricia used to live down the road. Rick has told me that you are fine with camping in the open. Our farm is protected by the fence, so you'll be safe. Sophia can stay here in the meantime."

"Thank god!" Amy said, "The RV is nice enough, but no offence Dale, but it's awfully stinky and dirty."

Dale shrugged. "None taken."

"I'm going to get Sophia's antibiotics tonight," Otis piped up, "Who's with me?"

"I'll go." Rick and Harry said at the same time. "No, I'll go," Shane said, "Rick, you have to stay here with the group."

Rick was silent for a moment before he spoke. "I see your point. Draco, you wanted to go along?" Harry nodded enthusiastically. He faintly heard Carol snorting under her breath. "I can't bring a kid along." Shane argued, "What if something happens?"

"Oh, let the boy redeem himself," Carol snarled, "It's not like he could do anything here."

"I'm okay with it if you're okay, Shane," Otis said.

"Where are you planning to go?" Daryl asked. "It's a school," Otis explained, "When this… started, the school became some sort of refugee center. There are a lot of medical supplies there."

"Sounds good," Rick said, "Do you have a map or any directions?"

"There _are_ some maps in my room, now you speak of it," Adam said, "I'll get them for you."

"I'll get the group settled first,"

* * *

Daryl picked a spot that was beneath the trees, shielded from the worst of the weather. The group started to unpack as Rick and Shane talked to Otis. "Feels like Atlanta again," Glenn joked. "Nothing like Atlanta, Glenn," Dale frowned, "We're safe here."

"If Hershel allows," Amy said, "I was talking to Adam just now. He seems to think that Hershel doesn't like other people trespassing on their property."

"Well, he said to Rick that it was okay," Lori said, "We should take Rick's words for it."

"As long as Sophia's healing, Hershel said," Andrea argued.

"Everything's up to how Rick and Shane deal with it," Dale said, "Stop worrying about things like these."

When finally everyone was settled in, Rick and Shane made their way down to the group. "Nice spot you have here." Shane commented. "Did anyone get my tent up?"

"Yup," Amy answered, "You're bunking with T-Dog."

Shane shrugged casually. "Great," then he said to Harry, "Better get a nap now, kid, Otis will wake us up when it's time to move. Long night ahead."

* * *

**So... this is the first chapter where there is... some... sort... of character developement... It's my first try as well, I'm just too used to writing descriptive language that in my compositions almost every teacher told me that I can't just portray characters with description and expect readers to understand. Apologies if you think someone is OOC, especially Carol, but I don't like her at all. In fact, I like Andrea more than I like Carol. She's more snappish and harsh here, because she has someone to blame for her girl's injuries (namely Harry).**

**I have no idea where this is going, whether it would be going more closer to the comics or tv shows, but I have already planned on stuffing a part from the game into this. I finally had the courage to finish the game (translation: I was screaming my head off and lamenting about my decisions as my brother played it)**

**And tada! I put in an exchange that's in the comic, tweaked it a bit, in this chapter. Virtual cookies to anyone who finds it! And uh yeah, it's ages since I read the comics, so I forgot in the comics did Hershel usher the group to leave the farm like he did in the tv show?**

**Oh and maybe some of you are miffed about Glenn/Maggie but I didn't say that they wouldn't break up… or that Maggie would die… or- well you get the gist. I never said they would have sex as well. And sorry for portraying Carol to be such a beach, but I never liked her, especially so in the TV series.**


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